Through the Ages
by stark18
Summary: Let's take a stroll through Tony's childhood, his college experience, and the time he felt alone


A week old baby looked up at his mother with wide brown eyes, filled to the brim with curiosity. His little, chubby fingers grabbed at her, until she picked him up and paced around the room with him in her arms.

"Oh, Anthony. You have got to be the most adorable lil thing I've ever seen. I love you so much baby, but you have to go to sleep now," Maria said in a hushed tone to young Tony. Tony has proven to be the best thing that ever happened to Maria, even though it has only been a week. He looks at her with eyes full of love, knowing that she would take care of him. However, his father on the other hand, was never around…

"C'mon baby, let's put you down. You've been up for quite some time!" As Maria put Tony back in his crib, his eyes began to well up with tears.

"Oh no, don't cry honey. I'll be back in no time." With that, and a soft kiss to his forehead, Tony calmed down and fell into a deep sleep.

XXXXXX

"Ugh… Maria!"

Tony, now almost approaching his second birthday, could be heard crying from his bedroom. Howard wasn't fond of Tony when the young child was crying- or one could argue, in any condition- and refused to go any where near him.

"MARIA!"

"What?" Maria came in from the kitchen with her apron tied around her waist and a bowl of cookie batter in her hand. The Stark family was expecting guests soon, and it was always Maria's pleasure to bake for them.

When she entered the living room to see an empty bottle of Scotch on the table, and a tablet in her husband's hands, her face immediately flushed. She heard Tony crying from his room and quickly ran into the kitchen to put the bowl down so she could finish later. Her first priority was to calm her son.

"Calm him the fuck down, before I get in there and whoop his ass…" Howard stated with an annoyed look. Maria wanted to argue, but with Tony crying, and Howard's now-drunken state, she knew better not to say anything. So, she turned on her heel and made way to her son's room.

When she entered the room and saw a tearful little boy, her heart sunk. "Honey, what's the matter?" She picked him up from his crib, and rocked him back and forth. He continued to cry, so she assumed that he was either hungry, or needed a change.

When she went to go feel if he needed the latter, she discovered that he must've been hungry. So, she cradled him in her arms and brought him into the kitchen. She put him down in his highchair, and went to the fridge to get some milk. She placed the milk in the microwave to heat it up just enough so it was lukewarm. When she brought it over, he took it immediately and began sucking it all down, no assistance needed.

"Wow Tones, haha slow down before you choke," taking the bottle away from him. "You know, you're gonna be one smart kid." He replied with a giggle and outstretched hands, grabbing for the bottle. "Ugh, you're too cute to resist!" Maria handed back the bottle and cupped his cheek. He drooled a little in her hands but with that goofy smile, she couldn't possibly get mad.

As he began sucking away again, she washed her hands and relocated the bowl and began dropping spoonfuls onto an oven tray. She put it in the oven to let the batter bake into cookies that she would lay out for the guests. She turned to Tony, who already downed three quarters of the bottle, and was still going strong. "Are you ready to see Auntie Peggy today? Jarvis is about to go leave and pick her up soon. And, I heard she has gifts for you!" Tony set down the bottle, having no idea what his mother just said, but seemed to be satisfied with his now full stomach.

He reached up, and Maria strolled over and picked him up. She brought him into the living room, forgetting about Howard, but luckily he was gone- probably to his workshop. She placed him on the floor to let him crawl around, knowing he was getting antsy. "I'll be back in 15 minutes or so," Jarvis said in the doorway leading into the living room. "Thank you Jarvis," was the reply from Maria, but what made him really smile was Tony's hand waving back and forth. With a wave of his own, he left to go pick up Peggy.

About 20 minutes later, Maria heard the slamming of car doors while placing the fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies on the living room coffee table. Tony hasn't moved from his spot on the floor where he had been playing with a stuffed dog toy he got for his first birthday. He was so concentrated with his stuffed dog when Jarvis came into the living room with Peggy following on his heels with a bag filled with what Maria thought were Tony's gifts. Tony immediately recognize her, dropped his dog and crawled -well, more like scrambled- as fast as his tiny arms and legs could allow him to get to her. She placed her bag down on the floor and after picking him up, she swung him in a circle, resulting in an eruption of laughter.

"Annnddd how are you my sweet boy? I've missed you so so so so so much," she said, smothering him in kisses. He looked at her with the most innocent eyes, but being the observant boy he was, he quickly spotted the bag and his eyes filled with curiosity. She noticed this and simply stated, "you wanna see? I got them for my bestest nephew in the whole wide world!"

She placed him down and sat on the floor with him. She got the bag and handed it to Tony. He looked at his mother as if asking for permission, and when he got a nod, he tore into it. When he saw what was in the bag, his eyes lit up as bright as the sun. Peggy's smile expanded even more, threatening to split her face in two. When Tony brought the Captain America Teddy Bear close to his chest, Maria couldn't help feel a little bit of guilt. She knew that Tony's brain was being hardwired from the few moments he was with Howard. She knew that Howard wanted nothing more than to find the Captain in the ice, but he had only ended up with Tony. So, Howard naturally, began criticizing Tony for everything he did, even if he was only a toddler. Howard desperately wanted his son to grow up into a man like the great Captain.

However, this moment of guilt passed when Tony crawled over to her, proudly showing off his new toy. If Tony was happy, I guess she could accept this new-found love Tony had for Captain America, no matter how influenced he was by Howard.

XXXXXX

Tony had just turned four, and all he wanted for his birthday was to spend the day with his Aunt. So, when Peggy came to pick Tony up, he was shaking with excitement.

"Aunt Peggy! Aunt Peggy! Aunt Peg-" Tony was swept off his feet when Peggy embraced him in a tight hug. "Woah Tones, I'm here, I'm here. And I'm more than excited to spend the day with you!" Peggy flipped Tony's stray hairs out of his eyes, which were filled to the brim with excitement.

The two hugged again, and Jarvis motioned for Peggy. Even though Howard was Tony's father, Jarvis stepped in when he wasn't there. So, in other words, Jarvis could've passed as the father of the young boy. Maria, who was out of town with Howard to attend to some business, whole-heartedly agreed that Peggy could take Tony for the day. Tony of course was a little upset that his parents weren't there with him on his birthday, but he gradually got used to being alone, as sad as it was. But he still knew that his Aunt and Jarvis would always be there for him.

When Peggy got up, she motioned for Tony to stay put, and made her way to Jarvis. Jarvis tended to be overprotective, as he did become Tony's illegitimate father. He packed 2 bags for Peggy to bring with her on their little adventure today. Peggy was willing to do anything the boy wanted, as long as it was age appropriate.

"The green bag has some snacks that Tony likes, as well as a change in clothes in case, you know…" Jarvis gestured to some of the pull ups he packed for the boy. Tony was definitely potty trained, in fact, he learnt months before the average boy did. However, when Tony gets too excited, he often has an accident. This also occurs when the boy gets stressed or overwhelmed from what it seems, as he is wet most of the time after spending time with Howard.

Peggy simply nodded her head, but felt guilty as she knew Tony was more embarrassed than anything to have to wear them. "The blue bag has some of his toys, in case he gets antsy, but I doubt you'll need them." Peggy grabbed the bags and thanked Jarvis, and the two adults made their way back to where Tony was playing with a model airplane on the floor.

"Are you ready Tony?" Peggy asked, already knowing the answer. "YES!" was the one word answer she got as a reply. She simply smiled, but knowing his reaction wouldn't be as happy when she asked the next question, her mouth formed a straight line. "Before we go, you have to put these on Hun," she simply stated, holding out a pair of pull ups towards the boy. Like she expected the boy's reaction to be, Tony's eyes filled with tears quickly. When he let loose said tears, Jarvis piped up.

"Sir, there's no need to cry, a lot of boys wear these! There's no shame in needing a little help sometimes." Tony turned to Peggy with glassy eyes and pleaded. "Auntie please! I promise I'll try my hardest, please! I'm a big boy now, Daddy said I shouldn't need them, he said they're for babies!"

Almost if on cue, a dark spot began spreading on Tony's pants. The boy looked up and started to sob, clearly embarrassed. Peggy and Jarvis shared a look, knowing that Tony must've stressed himself out. The boy only seeks approval from his father, and the two adults know that. They both agree Howard pushes Tony too much, and the fact that Tony takes little things -such as wearing pull ups- to heart, makes Peggy's heart break.

Peggy took Tony into her arms and hugged him until the sobs turned into small whimpers. She looked into the boy's eyes, which were still glossed over. "Oh Hun, it's okay! We're not mad at you, we all make mistakes! How about we get you changed and go get some ice cream?" Tony just nodded into her shoulder. She picked him up, grabbed a pull up, and Jarvis grabbed a pair of pants from Tony's dresser in his room. When she laid him down on his bed and removed his pants, Tony began to kick when she began to put the pull up on him.

"Hey, Tony, stop that. The sooner we put this on, the sooner we can get ice cream." Tony reluctantly allowed her to put the pull up on, much to his dismay. He put the pants on by himself, and now that the whole changing-situation was over, it was like it never happened.

"Oh oh can I get chocolate with rainbow sprinkles? But I want the soft kind! Um, I mean, can I get the soft kind please?"

"Of course! Whatever you want! Let me just grab the bags and we can get on our way." When Peggy went to get the bags, Jarvis walked over to Tony. "I hope you have the most wonderful birthday, just be sure to behave for your Aunt. I know that won't be a problem, however, because you are such a good gentleman." Tony threw his arms around Jarvis's neck and nodded, "I promise to be good, Jarvis. I love you."

"I love you too young Sir, enjoy your day!" And with that, Peggy took Tony's hand, thanked Jarvis again, and they made their way to the car outside.

Peggy parked the car as soon as she saw the first ice cream shop. After Tony got his chocolate ice cream with rainbow sprinkles, and Peggy got her plain vanilla, the two sat on a bench just outside. "So, do you want to do anything specific today? It's your day, so whatever you want to do, I'm sure we can make it happen."

"I'm not sure Auntie. Do you think we can go to Central Park today?" The Stark family moved to the New York mansion for the week, seeing as the business meeting Howard and Maria were attending was occurring in New Jersey.

"Of course! We'll head out as soon as we finish this delicious ice cream. Anything you want to do when we're there?" Tony just shrugged, "I don't care, as long as I'm with you." Peggy's heart melted and she could feel tears surfacing. It amazed her how attached Tony was to her, and vice versa. She truly fell in love with her nephew, and knew that he relied on her for a number of things. One of those things: attention. Maria was closer to him than Howard, but has been gradually pulling away as he aged, a shame because Tony loved his mother so much, and adored any time he was with her.

The two finished their ice creams, and hopped in the car. Peggy drove towards Central Park, and could tell Tony was getting antsy in the back seat. She knew that they had at least 20 more minutes, with New York traffic you could never get anywhere fast. "If you look in that blue bag, there's a couple toys Jarvis packed for you. You can take some out if you want, it'll be a little bit." Tony looked into the bag and picked out a toy car. Any other kid would've rolled it around, or made it 'crash,' but Tony just stared at it, as if he was studying it. "Aunt Peggy…"

"Yes, dear?"

"Did you know that the 1967 Corvette Sting Ray had a 435 horsepower engine?" Tony stated, still staring at the car.

"No, I didn't know that! That's so cool, how'd you learn that?"

"Daddy. He told me when I was forced t- when I watched him fix the motor of one… He told me I should know this stuff when I take over the company."

"Do you like learning about that stuff?" Peggy looked at Tony through the rearview mirror, seeing that he was no longer looking at the car, but rather down in his lap.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. I mean, it's interesting and I'm glad that learning this stuff will help me when I'm bigger. Are we there yet?" Peggy knew that the young boy instantly wanted to change the subject once he accidently mentioned his father. So, she didn't try to carry on the conversation.

Peggy pulled into the parking lot and helped Tony get out of the backseat. "So, I know there's a beautiful playscape in here somewhere. How about we make our way to that and see how you feel about lunch, yes?"

"Okay!" With that, Peggy grabbed the bags and they made their way to said playscape. When Tony saw the playscape, his eyes lit up, and he grabbed Peggy's hand and dragged her to it quickly. There were a couple kids playing, and their parents sitting on the benches surrounding the huge structure. "C'mon Auntie, let's play tag! You're it!" He tapped Peggy and bolted for the stairs that led to the top of the structure. Peggy placed the bags down on a bench and ran after him. She didn't know what to expect from the day, so she wore sneakers just in case they did a lot of walking, which she was grateful for now.

They played tag for about 10 minutes before Tony made it up to the slide, but he ran into a bit of a problem. A group of older, bigger boys were at the top, 'guarding' the slide. Tony knew that if he didn't get past the group, Aunt Peggy would catch him, and that was not going to happen on his watch. However, when he tried to pass the boys, they wouldn't move.

"Get out of here, kid. This slide is for older kids."

"But if I can't go down, Aunt Peggy's gonna catch me and I'll be it. Can I ple-"

"Welp, that sucks for you, huh?" Tony tried to dive past the group when he saw Peggy just begin climbing up the stairs. When he dived though, his shirt rode up and revealed the top of the pull up he was wearing.

"Haha! Shouldn't you be at home in your crib, you baby? I bet your Aunt is coming up right now to change your diaper!" Tony began to tear up, but Peggy made it to the top before he let loose those tears.

"Hey, back off! Tony, you didn't do anything wrong, okay? These guys are just being jerks. Now, if you'll please let me and my nephew down now, it would be gratefully appreciated." She didn't even allow them to make a move as she trudged through, guiding Tony. She sat down and put him in her lap, then pushed down the slide.

When they got to the bottom, Peggy turned to the boys at the top to gave them a dirty glance, and walked alongside Tony, who was heading straight to the bags. He turned to her, obviously hurt, "I could've handled it Auntie, I'm old enough." He sat down on the bench with his arms crossed and bottom lip trembling. Refusing to make eye contact with her, she took his chin in her hand and forced him to look her in the eyes. "Tony, I know you could've handled it, but those boys could've hurt you. How about we go to a picnic table and have some lunch?" Tony, still looking anywhere but Peggy, nodded his head as his stomach began to growl.

They made their way to a section of the park that was full of picnic tables. They took a seat at an empty table near a huge water fountain, and Peggy began pulling Jarvis's packed food from the green bag. She handed Tony a tuna fish sandwich, a bag of chips, and a bottle of water. She took out a ham and cheese sandwich for herself.

Tony was halfway through his sandwich when she mentioned they could stop at the Central Park Zoo. Despite being mid-chew, he immediately put down the sandwich and gave her a huge smile. "Can we see the elephants? They're my favorite! My other favorites are the tigers, lions, penguins, zebras, giraffes, and rhinos!"

"Of course Tones, whatever you wanna see! Wow, you have a lot of favorites!"

They finished the remainder of their lunch whilst talking about other animals that they both wanted to see. Tony was so excited one moment, but all of a sudden his face dropped the next moment. "Are you okay honey?"

"Um… yeah. I just, um, wanna go see them now." His eyes refusing to meet her, but she noticed him looking down in his lap. She sighed and realized what happened. She began digging through the green bag, and Tony began to panic. "No! No, Auntie please no! I'm okay, I promise!"

"Tony, you need to change before we go into the zoo, you won't be comfortable all wet."

Tony began to sob, resulting in a few turned heads. Those who didn't have kids sent annoyed glances, but parents sent sympathetic looks. Peggy could care less what look she got, she tried desperately to calm her nephew. She picked him up and wrapped his legs around her waist. She bounced him, patted his back, ran her fingers through his hair, and even tried to tickle him, but there was no success.

"I...want...Jay Jay," Tony stated in between sobs. Peggy knew he must've been really upset, because Tony only used Jarvis's old nickname when he was overwhelmed. She took a quick stroll around the perimeter of the area, and he essentially tired himself out. He began to yawn, and she took this as a hint to start heading back to the car.

It took about 5 minutes to reach the car, and by the time she opened the door, Tony was fast asleep, drooling on her shoulder. She threw the bags in the back seat, and buckled him in the other side. She looked at the sleeping toddler through the mirror and was a little bit disappointed on how his birthday went. Starting the day with tears, and ending the day in the same state was not how she envisioned his day to go.

When she arrived back at the mansion 20 minutes later, she picked the still-asleep boy out of the car. She brought him into his room and tucked him in, wet-pull up and all. She would've changed him, but knew it would wake him up.

"Rough day, huh?" Jarvis asked when Peggy returned to the living room.

"Yeah, but for the times that weren't full of tears, we both enjoyed ourselves. I'll probably have to bring him back out again, I promised I would bring him to the zoo." With that, she left the Stark mansion, feeling guilty leaving Tony. But she knew that when she would come back, he would still love her no matter what.

XXXXXXX

"Mom! Look at this!"

Maria was in the living room reading over a stack of paperwork for presumably one of her charities. "Tony, I'm working on something. Can I look at it later?" Maria was becoming more and more distant from her son, much to everyone's dismay.

Tony's smile instantly faded and looked down at the little mechanical robot he built all by himself. "Yeah, okay," was all he could say. He walked back to his room whilst looking at the floor the entire way there. However, he made it halfway up the stairs when Jarvis called for him. "And what is that, Tony?" Tony's eyes widened as someone finally was interested in what he created.

"It's a robot. I made it without any help. All I had to do was create a circuit board and build the metal framework!"

"Wow, that's quite impressive, especially for an eight year old! Did you show it to your mother?"

With this Tony's face dropped a little, "No, she was busy. But I'm gonna show her later, so it's okay." Jarvis face tightened, realizing just how much the boy wanted his parents approval.

"I'm sure she'll be very proud of you," he simply stated. He nodded to Tony and gave him a pat on the back. He was carrying want presumed to be Howard's dry cleaning, seeing he had a gala to attend tonight. Tony forgot all about the gala, but didn't think anything of it. He wasn't quite sure whether or not he had to go. He really hoped he didn't though. He hated wearing the uncomfortable tux, plastering a fake smile on his face the entire night, and worst of all, he was scared he was going to embarrass his father. If he embarrassed him, he would get 'punished' afterwards, which was something he always feared.

He pushed that thought aside and started to head to his room. When he reached it, he dropped himself on his bed and placed the robot on the dresser to the side of the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a bit, thinking about other inventions he could create. He was thinking of a toaster-like contraption when his bedroom door swung open.

"What the hell were you doing in my lab?"

It didn't even cross Tony's mind to show Howard the robot, knowing what the reaction would be. However, he turned to his dresser and picked up the robot, showing his father instead of trying to explain why he went through the lab's trash bins and borrowed some tools he knew Howard didn't use.

Howard stared at the project for a few moments, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't raise you to create shit like this! You're supposed to be creating weapons, inventions that can benefit the world! God, why did I get stuck with you?" Tony didn't say anything. Everything he did was criticized by the one person who should be encouraging him. Tony could feel tears beginning to form, but no. 'Stark men are made of iron.' He refused to cry in front of his father. If he cried, who knows what Howard would do.

"Look at me, boy. If you go in my lab again, I'll make sure you can't sit on your ass for weeks from the amount of whipping you'll get." And with that, he slammed the door, but not without grabbing the robot out of Tony's hands first. Tony could only assume it was going to end up in the trash, like all his other projects.

Maria was all done with her paperwork, and she went to Tony's room to find the boy simply sitting on his bed, staring at the wall. "What was it you wanted to show me?"

"Nothin'" Tony didn't take his eyes off the wall. He was really proud of the robot he made. Yeah, he made plenty of circuit boards and repaired a couple engines, but this robot was his first solo project. He was planning on keeping it and making upgrades to it as years passed, but knew that wasn't possible anymore.

"Okay then... We have the gala tonight so you'll have to wear your tux. We'll be leaving around 5ish." Maria strolled out of the room without looking back.

Crap, Tony did not want to go to the gala at all, especially after what just happened. That stupid project. A constant nagging in Tony's head kept telling him to go retrieve the robot, and he tried to ignore it. But then, a brilliant idea popped into his head. What if he brought the robot to the gala and showed it to some of his father's friends. That would impress them, thus Howard would be proud that other people admired his son. And, he would get to keep the robot!

He still had about 3 hours til they would leave, so he left his room and made way towards the living room. Luckily, Howard had left the house after the whole incident. For what, Tony was unsure. But he was gone, meaning he had full access to the lab, and didn't have to worry about getting caught.

He made his way down to the lab, and what do you know? The robot was on the top of the growing heap of garbage in the trash bin. He took it and ran up to his room, where he tested it out to see if anything was damaged. It turned out to be alright, so as long as it stayed like this, it would surely impress a great deal of people, hopefully one of those people being his father.

Another two and a half hours passed, and it was time he get ready. Jarvis came up to his room with his dry-cleaned tux, and helped him get dressed. His mother gave him a briefcase to make him look more professional for his birthday, so he thought that would be the perfect place to hide his invention so his father didn't see it before they got to the gala. He placed it in the case, closed it up, and was all set to go.

Jarvis and Tony made their way to the living room where Maria, wearing a red, strapless gown was waiting. "Oh, look at my handsome young man."

Tony blushed a little, and stood next to his mother, both of them waiting for Howard to emerge from the lab where he returned shortly after Tony got the robot. When Howard arrived in his tux, he gave his son a quick glance over and nodded, confirming that they were all set to go. Jarvis already had the car parked outside, and after everyone got in, they were off.

When they arrived at the gala, the family went through the usual routine. They stopped for dozens of reporters who interviewed Howard and Maria, and occasionally asked Tony a few questions. Nothing major, just complimenting him on his tux, and asked about how working with his father was going. As usual, Tony just plastered a smile on his face and answered each question with the sole purpose of making his father look good.

When they were inside and away from all the reporters, Howard went off to talk with some of his co-workers, while Tony clung to Maria's side. A few groups of Maria's friends would come up to Tony and ruffle his hair and pinch his cheeks. Yes, he loved getting attention, but not this kind. He hated it, but knew he had to suck it up.

One of Howard's co-workers came up to talk with Maria, and Tony recognized him as Obadiah Stane. He was well-respected by Howard, so Tony knew that if he impressed Mr. Stane, his father would be more than pleased. So, Tony tugged on the man's pants and when he looked down at him, Tony gave him a smile.

"And how are you doing, squirt?" Tony wanted to grimace as he hated that nickname that so many people seemed to give him. He didn't though, but he did ask the man a question.

"Do you wanna see something cool?"

"Um, sure, why not?"

With this, Tony opened his briefcase and pulled out the robot, showing it to the man.

"Wow! You made that? What are you, like seven? Eight? That's pretty impressive." He took the robot out of Tony's hand to examine it further, taking in all the details. Obadiah had to admit that Tony was one smart kid to be able to create something like this. Tony's face lit up, and he knew that Mr. Stane would tell Howard about what he was shown, meaning Tony would get the much-needed approval from his father. However, when Tony saw his father marching over to them with a scowl, he knew he made the mistake of bringing the robot here.

"Howard, your kid's amazing! I mean, this isn't too advanced, but for his age, I can't imagine what he'll do in the next few years." Howard's scowl disappeared, and a surprised look replaced it.

"I mean, I was the one who taught him. Go figure he's a smart kid, he's a Stark," he spat, as if it pained him to say this, but Obadiah didn't seem to notice.

"Of course, haha. Well, looks like we will have another great Stark leading the company in the foreseeable future!" Obadiah handed Tony back the robot, nodded to Howard, and left to go talk to other groups. Tony looked at his father with the happiest eyes, but Howard's expression quickly changed to one of anger.

"Follow me." Tony knew that tone, and he feared that tone. He knew what was coming, and was so deep in thought that he didn't move.

Howard grabbed his arm rather roughly and dragged him to a nearby room where no guests would be. The action earned a few looks, so Howard grabbed Tony's hand and mouthed 'bathroom' to the guests, who gave a nod in reply.

Once they were in the room, Howard glared at his son with eyes that could burn through his soul. "You are going to stay in this room for the rest of the gala. If you so much as make a noise…" Howard pointed at Tony with one finger, then continued, "I will discipline you after." Howard slammed the door shut, leaving a stricken Tony behind. 'What did he do wrong,' was all he thought…

Tears stung Tony's eyes and his cheeks were bright red. Once the family was home, after a rather awkward, silent ride, Howard slung Tony over his shoulder as if he were a sack of potatoes, and brought him down to his workshop.

"Pull down your pants… that includes underwear."

No no no no. No. Tony knew exactly what was going to happen next, and tears began to fill his eyes. He knew that he looked weak and vulnerable, but how could he not cry knowing what was about to happen. Reluctantly, Tony dropped his dress pants and underwear, and gave out a few silently sobs.

"Come here. Now."

Tony made his way over to his father, and knew the routine all too well. Bend over and shut up.

The first few slaps were so painful that Tony thought he was going to pass out. But he bit his lip as tears streamed down his cheeks. He could feel the heat radiating off his bottom, and knew there was no chance he would be able to sit properly for at least a couple of days. With each slap, his father seemed to hit harder and harder, until Tony gave out a blood-curling scream. At this Howard stopped, knocked Tony off his knee and onto the ground.

"See what happens when you disobey? Now get up and go to your room."

Tony got up slowly and pulled up his pants, wincing at the pain the sudden movement created. He made his way up the stairs into the living room, tears still falling down his face. His mother sat on the couch, not even looking up at her son, as if she was embarrassed by him. He let out a few whimpers and step-by-step, made it up the stairs and down the hall to his room.

Jarvis was already in his the young boy's room when Tony came in. He quickly made his way over to hug the crying boy, telling him that everything would be alright. Tony held on to him as if he were his lifeline. Jarvis had a cold, wet cloth and motioned for Tony to pull down his pants and lay down on his stomach on the bed. Jarvis grimaced at how red Tony's skin was, and placed the towel on the inflammations. He stroked Tony's hair as the boy cried into the crook of his arm.

They stayed like this until Tony fell asleep, some tears still falling through his closed eyes. Jarvis felt terribly sorry for the boy, but knew that he would continue to put up with the pain. If that meant Howard would appreciate his own son, so be it.

XXXXXX

A 15 year old Tony stood before the huge gates that led to the beautiful campus of MIT. His father, mother and Jarvis all stood behind him as he looked around, taking in everything. Maria was the first to approach the teen. She came up behind him, put her arms around him and placed a kiss on his cheek. "You're going to do amazing, I'm so proud of you…" She hugged him tighter and he returned the gesture. She took ahold of his shoulders and looked him in the eyes, her own full with proudness.

Tony turned to Jarvis, who had pulled out his handkerchief to wiped the tears that were flowing down his face. He was smiling, and he was so happy with what Tony accomplished. He graduated the top of his class in high school, all while being 4 years younger than his classmates. Tony never let age limit his opportunities, but his age did lead to him being a primary victim of bullying. Jarvis was worried this would carry on through college.

Tony walked over to him and held out his hand. Jarvis gave it a firm shake, and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you, J. For everything," Tony said into his ear. Jarvis replied, "You're welcome, Tones. Remember, no matter what anyone else says, it is always possible for your dreams to come true, you just have to work towards them." He said the last part rather quietly, and Tony knew that the 'anyone' he was referring to was Howard. Jarvis had to force himself to pull away, and Tony gave a sharp nod.

Tony turned to his father, who was too busy texting to notice that he was looking for a 'good luck' or at least a 'goodbye.' When the silence dragged on, Howard looked up from his phone and realized that everyone but Tony was staring at him. Tony wore a sad look as he glared at the ground. Howard put the phone away and coughed, which caught Tony's attention.

"Good luck, son, make me proud." Howard gave a quick nod and returned his attention to the phone. Tony swallowed, wanting to say something, but what could he say to that? Instead, he just remained silent, while the only sounds made were the sighs from Jarvis and Maria.

Tony grabbed his luggage from Jarvis and gave both his mother and the butler a smile, who both sent one back. Tony gave a glance back towards his father, but got nothing in return. As he walked through the gates, he could hear his mother let loose a few whimpers. Besides leaving behind his mother and Jarvis, he was more than ready to start a new chapter in his life and start fresh.

Tony trudged his luggage across the entire campus, and earned many glances from students. He finally, after what seemed to be a few hours worth of walking, made it to his room. He walked in and didn't find anyone else in the room. He set his luggage to the side and sat down on the bed. He sat like this for about a half hour, thinking about just how stressful the next 4 years were gonna be. Then, there was a knock on the door, and his roommate walked in.

"Oh, um, hi there… Um, I'm Tony, did you want a certain bed? I was just sitting on this one, but I didn't claim one in case you wanted a specific one…"

"I'm James… James Rhodes," was the only reply he got. He put his suitcase on the bed next to Tony, and the younger boy shot up so fast, quickly going to the other bed so he wasn't in the way. Tony honestly thought he was going to be more excited, but he was actually nervous and… afraid. He didn't have Jarvis to help him deal with the anxiety or fear of going to school - because of all the bullying. He was all alone, and this 'James' person didn't seem too enthusiastic or willing to help. Who would blame him though, he gets to spend his freshman year with someone who should really be a freshman in high school.

Tony, trying to break the silence, piped up, "So, where are you from?"

"Philly, you?"

"Well, we live in New York and California, but I spent most of my life in California. So I-"

"Yeah, I guess that's what the wealthy have to worry about, huh?"

"Wha-"

"I bet that the only reason you got in was because of your daddies money, right? I know who you are Stark, and I just want to let you know that I worked so damn hard to get into this school. I'm just gonna warn you now, if you get in my way, you'll regret it." With that James got up and walked out of the room.

Well, Tony's new chapter was going to start off a little bumpy…

The first day of classes were awful. The classes themselves amazed Tony, and he looked forward to going to classes in the future. The students however, were a different story. Tony knew he was going to get treated differently, but he didn't expect for them to call him out, make fun of him publicly, and even go as far as to go to the President of MIT to request him to leave. Obviously the last option didn't happen, much to the students' dismay, but the college was getting money, so of course they would keep him.

He spent most of his time in his room, keeping the door locked so that James was the only one who could come in. After his first class - intro to physics - he quickly left to retreat to his room. However, he was stopped by two students he recognized from the class.

"Um, hi, excuse me please." Tony tried to scoot around but they didn't allow him to pass.

"You think you're hot shit now, huh. We need to make sure you understand that you're just a little rich brat who has no business in this school. You should spare yourself now, you're just gonna grow up to be a disappointment to your family's name."

Before Tony could say anything, he got a fist to the eye. A hard one, too. When the force knocked him to the ground, the other kid kicked his school supplies across the courtyard. The kid who threw the punch kicked Tony in the gut. Tony didn't even attempt to fight back, the student was twice his size! He would just embarrass himself even more.

The kid went to kick Tony again when he was shoved by… James?

"Knock it off! He's just a kid!" When the scene began drawing a crowd, the two students backed off and shot a dirty look at Tony, but didn't attempt anything else. Tony just remained on the ground, drawing his knees to his chest to make him look as small as he possibly could. He desperately wanted to disappear. He could see James collecting Tony's things from around the courtyard.

"Are you okay, Tones?" He hadn't heard that name in forever, it made him warm up a little inside. Tony just nodded and tried to stand up, but found it very disorienting. Before he could fall, James grabbed his arm and helped him maintain his balance. Throughout it all surprisingly, Tony didn't shed a tear.

"Here, let's go to the medical office, your eye isn't looking too good." Tony didn't even realize he was only looking out of one eye, the other being swollen shut. He could also feel bruises forming on his stomach from where he got kicked. "Yeah, ok, thanks. I can find it myself if you have other places to be…"

"It's okay, my next class starts in another hour. I have plenty of time," James let go of Tony after he was sure the boy regained his balance. The two made their way to the office in silence. Neither acknowledged each other, and Tony was still red, clearly embarrassed about the whole situation.

Once they got to the office, the nurse told him that he didn't sustain any major injuries, but told him to 'stay out of fights.' Tony internally chuckled at that and said he would 'try his best.'

The nurse gave him a couple ice packs for his eye and stomach, and then he was off. James, to Tony's surprise, stayed in the waiting room. Tony honestly expected him to leave, even though the appointment only lasted 10 minutes.

"What are you doing here?" Tony said, which came out harsher than he intended it to be. "I-I didn't mean it like that, I just thought, you know, that you would leave…" Tony shrugged.

"I think we started off on the wrong foot," James strolled over to Tony with an outstretched hand. "Hi, I'm James Rhodes, my friends call me Rhodey. I'm from Philadelphia and I plan to become an engineer, then eventually join the Air Force."

Tony looked at his hand, shook it, and smiled as best as he could without causing pain to his eye.

"I'm Tony Stark. I'm from California and I'm planning to take over my dad's multi-billion dollar company." Ja- _Rhodey_ laughed and brought the young boy into a small hug. That was the first time Tony smiled for real since Jarvis and Maria left…

XXXXXXX

Tony and Rhodey became best friends over the last 3 years. It was nearing the end of their final year at MIT, and Tony could honestly say he was going to miss it. He wasn't going to miss the other students, who still bullied him unfortunately. But, he was going to miss the bonds he made with Rhodey and his teachers. He was honestly afraid where Rhodey was going to end up, seeing as he was currently enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program. And after college, he would get sent to a war zone as an officer. He was extremely proud of Rhodey, but it still worried him.

"Stark Industries is the main weapons contractor to the military, there is no doubt in my mind that we'll stay in touch."

"I know, but who knows what could happen?" Tony asked, with full sincerity in his voice.

"You're smart, you're not gonna do anything stupid. I'll be sure to send you postcards!" Rhodey nudged the boy's arm.

They both earned above-average grades in every class, and proved to be some of the top students in the entire college. Graduation was approaching fast, and they only had one week to clean out their dorm room. They were currently walking to their last class, where they would take their last final at MIT.

After they both finished their final exams, they agreed to meet back in their room. Rhodey was the first one in the room, and Tony walked in and the sight broke his heart. Rhodey was sitting on his bed, just like Tony had freshman year, but had tears flowing down his cheeks.

Tony dropped all his stuff and immediately went to comfort his friend. He sat on the bed next to him and wrapped his small arm around Rhodey's large shoulders.

"No, it should be the other way around, I should be comforting you, you're younger and should be more emotionally unstable…" A little smile slipped out of the bigger man's mouth when Tony gave out a belly-laugh.

"Don't worry, you did this for me too many times. Now it's my turn." His voice switched from joking to seriousness, "What's wrong, do you wanna talk?"

Rhodey let out a long sigh, "I'm scared, Tones. I'm really scared for what happens next." Tony just looked at him.

"You'll be right at home, the military is where you belong. You're going to make this country proud, you're going to make your family proud. You already made me proud."

"Yeah, thanks… But, I wasn't talking about the military. Tony, I'm gonna be all alone, you're not gonna be there. I know this sounds like I'm totally fangirling over you, but I'm not sure how I'm gonna function without you."

Tony thought about laughing, but knew Rhodey was really stressed out over this, and didn't want him to think he thought of it as just another silly joke. "Rhodey…" was all he managed. The two sat like this for awhile, with Tony rubbing small circles into his best friend's back and Rhodey tugging the younger boy into a tight hug. "We'll be alright..."

Tony was searching through the crowd for two people. It was finally the day. The day when he moved from making his dreams into a reality. The day he would finally make his father proud. He sent Jarvis, Maria, and Howard tickets to the graduation. He only expected two to show up, but in all honesty, he was fine with that.

He wasn't able to locate his mother and Jarvis, but knew they were there. The graduation ceremony began, and both Tony and Rhodey had some ways to go before they received their diploma, seeing as their last names were near the end of the alphabet. About two hours passed before the President reached the R's.

"James Rhodes."

Tony didn't mean to cheer as loud as he did, "YES RHODEY!" A whole bunch of heads turned his way, but Tony was too happy for his friend to notice. Rhodey glanced back at Tony with a huge smile plastered across his face. When Rhodey shook the President's, Tony teared up. Reality hit him hard at that moment. He realized that this could be the last time he sees Rhodey.

He watched Rhodey return to his seat and patiently waited for his name to be called. It took about another half hour until the student before Tony got called up. Tony got butterflies in his stomach, anxiously waiting, but when he heard his name, he froze.

The world around him seemed to move in slow motion as the entire auditorium became silent. When he heard his name being called a second time, his body finally allowed him to stand up. He made it up to the podium and shook the President's hand, and made it back to his seat with no further issue. He wasn't sure why he froze up, but he knew he didn't like it…

Little did he know that he had just experienced his first panic attack.

After the ceremony, all the families got together for pictures and a huge buffet that the college supplied. Tony took out his phone and dialed Jarvis's number. Jarvis answered rather quickly.

"Hey, where are you?"

Jarvis was silent for a second, as if he didn't understand the question, "I'm at the California house, why are you asking?"

Tony's face dropped, and he could feel tears welling up. They forgot. How could they forget? He called them the night before, talking about how excited he was to see them again. He realized he was silent for a long time so he simply stated, "Ah, I was just wondering. I'll call you later. Bye."

Tony retreated to a corner of the courtyard where no one else could be found. He sat at a bench, watching all the happy families get together and celebrate a huge milestone in one of their own's life. Tony looked at the diploma in his hands, and brought it to his chest.

"I did good, I don't need anyone to tell me so…" he said quietly to himself.

He was so deep in thought he didn't even realize Rhodey sat down next to him. The bigger man put his arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. Tony let loose the sobs that were kept inside him all those years. Rhodey just stayed there, waiting patiently for his friend. It was about another 10 minutes until the silence was broken.

"I'm sorry, um, you should go see your family," Tony said as the sobs died down to occasional whimpers.

"Tony, I'm so sorry…"

"Not your fault, I should've expected it, so it's more my fault than anything," Tony continued to look at the ground before Rhodey suddenly stood up, hauling his friend up as well.

"Well, I think it's about time you meet my family. I bragged so much about you and when I described you, they thought I was lying. They specifically said, 'there's no way nobody that awesome can possibly exist!' Wanna prove them wrong?"

Tony let out a small smile, and Rhodey received it as a 'yes.'

The Rhodes family was in line for the buffet when Rhodey brought Tony over. There were two adults, presumably James' mother and father, and a young girl, about 10ish, standing behind the lady.

"Mom, Dad, Amy, this is Tony. Tony, this is my mother, father, and sister."

Tony shook the adults' hands and waved at Amy, knowing she was nervous.

"It's a great pleasure to meet you all. Your son, and brother, made my 4 years here an experience that will never be forgotten."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you to say! We are very proud of him. And, I heard that you made his experience memorable as well. I've heard a lot of good things about you, Mr. Stark." Rhodey's mother said, with a genuine smile on her face throughout the entire statement.

Tony simply blushed, "Thank you Miss, you will probably continue to hear from me in the future. I'm not willing to give up Rhodey so easily!"

Both adults, even Amy, gave out a small laugh. "Well, you two stand together now! We want to cherish this moment for the rest of our lives."

Rhodey and Tony stood next to each other, each holding their diplomas and smiled for the camera. This would definitely be a moment Tony would cherish for the rest of his life. Even though some people didn't make it, he still had others around him who loved him, and that's all that mattered.

XXXXXX

Tony was 21 when his parent's died.

It was right before Christmas, too.

When a police officer arrived at the Stark mansion in New York to deliver the news, he didn't know what to feel.

Yeah, of course he cried and mourned the death of two of the most important people in his life. But, were they really that...important? It's an awful, _awful,_ thing to say, but his parents weren't there for most of his life, and that was the reality of the situation.

If he was going to be honest, he felt more sad over his mother than Howard. That made sense, however. He was constantly criticized for everything he did by his father, and was constantly put in the shadow of a man he didn't even know, Steve Rogers.

His mother was only there for the cute, adorable moments of Tony's life. Tony believed that as soon as her son hit puberty, she lost interest in him. He believed that she didn't have the motivation to deal with a hormonal, emotional young boy. But she was still there more than Howard...

Jarvis died a few months before. He was diagnosed with Colon Cancer, and was given a few months. And Tony was with him for every second until the time came earlier than expected.

He locked himself away, didn't come out for days. He couldn't bare go to the funeral, but he visited his grave a couple times a week. He did the same thing for his mother, and would bring Daisies to her grave, her favorite flower. He didn't visit his father's, despite it being directly next to Maria's.

Once the tabloids and newspapers published the articles about the infamous car crash, Rhodey hopped on a plane and made it to New York as fast as he could. When he knocked on the door and there was no answer, he called Tony.

No answer.

Out of nowhere however, came a British-voice, "James Rhodes, you are authorized to enter."

The door opened, and Rhodey didn't even try to figure out who that voice belonged to. Instead, he ran down to Howard's workshop, where he knew his friend would be.

Just as he predicted, Tony was sitting at Howard's desk, head in his hands. Rhodey slowly made his way over, not trying to startle him. Tony looked up, his eyes puffy from crying and said one thing.

"I'm alone."

Tony and Rhodey talked for awhile, about the current deaths, and how everything would end up alright. Rhodey believed that everything happened for a reason, and urged Tony to believe this as well.

"You're all I have, and you're always gone…"

Rhodey felt guilty. He's been in Afghanistan for almost a year, helping to capture terrorist groups. It wasn't like he could take vacation time, and Tony knew this. But still, it still stung knowing his friend would be all alone.

"I know Tones, but you got Obie and Pepper. They'll take care of you. And I'll try to visit as much as possible."

Tony simply nodded, "Yeah."

"Hey, I'll see you at that weapons demonstration though! And I think that with whatever you come up with, will ultimately send me back home earlier, because let's face it, you are the best weapons manufacturer in the _world._ Seeing a whole lot of war, I would know."

Tony still didn't look up. He was so lost in thought, and Rhodey could tell the best thing to do was to wait it out. He patted Tony on the back and exited the lab. "I'll be upstairs if you need me."

After a couple hours of just thinking, Tony finally made his way upstairs. He found Rhodey on the couch passed out. He knew the plane ride from Afghanistan to New York was a long, strenuous trip, and he appreciated Rhodey for coming out to support him in a time he needed someone most. He didn't realize how hungry he was until he saw a half eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the floor next to the couch. He guessed Rhodey was eating it when he fell asleep.

He made his way to the kitchen, "JARVIS, where's the peanut butter?"

"I believe that Colonel Rhodes had used it all up, Sir." A metallic voice sounded from the ceiling.

"Guess I'll settle for some toast then." He grabbed two pieces of bread and put them in the toaster before Rhodey walked in.

"Who called me out?"

"What do you mean?"

"The robot-voice thing in the ceiling. It opened the front door for me and just called me out for using the peanut butter. It's starting to freak me out."

"Oh, that's JARVIS. He's an AI- er, artificial intelligence- that I created to help around the house, and he could possibly be the answer to world peace. But we're not there quite yet."

Rhodey looked hilarious with his jaw dropped to the floor. Tony let out a little snort. Rhodey just responded sarcastically, "Oh, okay, that makes perfect sense now."

Tony's toast dinged and he quickly bee-lined for the toaster. He scoffed it down in less than 30 seconds, unaware of how hungry he really was. He did lock himself down in the basement for what he thought was a couple days, so he definitely worked up an appetite.

"Tony, are you sure you're okay? I'm serious, I can take a few days off if you need me to."

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Everything just hit all of a sudden, all unexpectant. I'll get over it, I just need more time. Plus, I have the Jericho project to keep my mind off of things."

"You fly out tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, bright and early."

"Mind if I hitch a ride? If we're going to the same place…"

"Nah, I was gonna have you walk." Tony replied with a smirk. Rhodey just came up beside him and nudged him with his elbow.

"Oh, Tony, always a pain in my ass."

"Wouldn't be myself if I wasn't!" Rhodey simply rolled his eyes. Then, he told his friend one last thing: "You'll love Afghanistan."

Man, was he ever so wrong.


End file.
